Eugene Volokh and Jane Bambauer examine the groundbreaking Robby Starbuck v. Google case, one of the first major defamation lawsuits arising from generative AI "hallucinations." They explore whether AI-generated falsehoods can constitute libel, why Section 230 offers no protection for AI-generated content, and how traditional defamation law applies when an AI invents damaging allegations about a real person. The conversation also covers the legal standards for actual malice, the role of discovery, Delaware's unusually permissive pleading rules, and whether these lawsuits could reshape the future of AI development—or expose AI companies to a wave of costly litigation. If AI can invent facts, who should bear the responsibility? This episode tackles one of the most important legal questions facing artificial intelligence today.
Recorded on July 30, 2026.
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[Subscription Required] The history of wealth taxes is that they raise much less revenue than hoped as targeted taxpayers find ways to avoid them. That looks to be the case with California’s wealth tax ballot measure (Proposition 40), which a new paper by the Hoover Institution’s Joshua Rauh and Benjamin Jaros estimates will result in a net revenue loss of $38.9 billion.
October 21, 2026
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Hoover Institution fellow Robert E. Hall's 2026 Nobel win offers an opportunity to recall another of his major contributions with Hoover Institution fellow Alvin Rabushka: the idea of a single flat tax. They proposed a flat tax that would simplify tax collection and increase investment in physical and human capital, without abandoning the idea of progressive taxes.
October 22, 2026
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Demonizing Donald Trump is a recurring theme in the closing arguments for California ballot initiatives. That’s even true of one measure making permanent a “temporary” state tax increase that has nothing to do with the president—but says plenty about the Golden State’s fiscal house of cards.
October 22, 2026
